


Tender

by Voidcoffee



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Canon Backstory, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 08:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17784368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voidcoffee/pseuds/Voidcoffee
Summary: Nott when she woke up after /The Thing/.





	Tender

The first thing I felt when I woke up was the burning in my lungs. The fire engulfed me, clawed its way up my throat and nose. I gasped. As I did, water rushed down my throat, but did nothing to dampen the flames. In fact, it made it worse. So much worse. My eyes began to water as my legs and arms kicked, searching for something to hold, something to tell me where I was. As I kicked, I tried to scream, the sound drowned out by the world around me.  I felt my nails scratch dirt. It clung to my fingers in heavy clumps. Mud. I dug my fingers into it, felt the dank substance give way. It felt cold and uncomfortable, but at least it told me what was up or down. Unless, I was in a cave, I suppose. But that thought never reached my head at the time. It was blocked by the volatile reaction of relief and panic. With my fingers now solidly in the ground, I moved my legs underneath me. A wave of electricity ran up my spine. Every movement I made felt tender. I was like a newborn, trying to escape from their mother’s womb. 

 

The sensation of cold muck against my feet brought me back to my senses. I pushed myself up. My head broke the water surface. Air hit me as if it were a brick. I gasped, tried to drink up the entire world. The burn in my neck and lungs soon disappeared. Now, it was my eyes’ turn to go up in flames. If the sunlight was like needles in my skin, it was like daggers in my eyes. I squinted. The world seemed no less blurry than it did when I was submerged. My heart beat quickly in my chest, sending my blood through my veins like a tsunami. Adrenaline prepared my muscles. For what I did not know. My eyes took a long while to adjust to the light. It was as if I’d been under there for hours. Of course, I couldn’t possibly have been. I would’ve drowned. The world slowly regained shape in front of me. I batted my eyelids. I held a hand up to the sky, trying to cover the sun. 

 

I froze. Or maybe the world froze. Something froze. Whatever that something was, I could feel it dig into my innards. My heartbeat slowed. My blood felt like it was trickling down my veins. The hand I held up wasn’t my own. The skin was green, wrinkly, covered in spots and scars. My own hands were fair, damaged only by work. Its nails were long and sharp, blobs of mud clinging to them like stalactites. My nails were uncut, but short. Filthy rims but that was it. These were not my hands. They couldn’t be. I frowned, turning my head to look down upon the water. I gasped. My breath rattled in my chest. I stared at the monster staring up at me and choked a quiet sob. I moved my left hand. It moved its left hand. I moved my right hand. It moved its right hand. Every motion I made it mimicked perfectly. 

 

The realisation hit me like a blow to the head. That was me. That was what I looked like. Green skin covered in scars and bumps and lines that had never been there before. Bat-like upturned nose. I hadn’t noticed until now, but my breathing did feel strange. Like someone stuffing air straight down me. Its eyes- no,  _ my  _ eyes were large, yellow with slitted pupils. They reminded me of a cat I’d seen sometimes back at home. Large ears covered in cuts protruded from the sides of my head. Looking at it all hurt. It was a physical pain unlike any I’d ever felt before. What hurt worst was my mouth. My lips were uneven. Bits of it drew back until there was barely any lip at all. Through the empty spaces they left I could see sharp, jagged teeth. I moved my jaw. The teeth hit each other like swords in a battle. I pushed one that used to be my canine into my lip. I jolted back. Blood trickled down my bottom lip. They were as sharp as they looked. 

 

The whole time I was studying myself, nothing felt real. The world seemed like a cruel nightmare. I felt nothing. I felt empty. It was as if I was looking at a mirror into a different reality. This wasn’t my reality. It couldn’t be. I did not deserve this. Little by little, the world started to fade back in again. Emotions battled for first hold inside my head. Before a victor could be chosen, I heard a voice.

 

“You’ve suffered, slave, but not nearly enough.”

 

Before I knew it, hands grabbed me from behind. I didn’t struggle this time. The only thing I did was resign my body to the darkness and pass out. Whatever was coming to me, I’d face it if I woke up.


End file.
